Rick Perry for President? No thanks. Give me Michele Bachmann.

A family member asked me the other day what I thought of Rick Perry as a candidate for president.

Wary. That’s my opinion. And growing warier.

I like what he says. I’m worried that he’s saying it because he knows I like it.

Here are the issues I have with Rick Perry.

My list of qualifications for president put integrity, honesty, courage, judgment and consistency all far above “positions.” I have been around long enough to see a lot of pretense in candidates running for office, and I believe that the United States needs a principled conservative in the White House. So count me skeptical when I see Rick Perry’s political conversion from Democrat to Republican coming immediately before a decision to seek statewide public office in Texas.

I’m looking for courage in a candidate. What I hear, though, from Governor Perry sounds more like bravado than courage. Look up the difference in the dictionary.

And his religion. Again, through many tough experiences I have learned that there are two primary motivations for religious behavior. There are outward motivations – people want to appear religious and good, and there are inward motivations. When I see someone like Rick Perry who wears his religion on his sleeve to the extent that he does, I associate that with a desire to appear religious. So count me as unimpressed with that.

The illegal immigration issue bothers me. Rick Perry’s soft stance on illegal immigration has brought him key endorsements and campaign money, and seems inconsistent with conservative core principles.

And then there is his executive order mandating vaccinations for 6th-grade girls in Texas against sexually transmitted diseases. Michelle Malkin calls out his “nanny-state” instincts in this decision of his.

And then just this past Friday, he got another black mark from me by refusing to be a guest on the Mark Levin show. Mark wanted to give him a chance to state his case, but had made it clear he would quiz him on his position on illegal immigration. I take Rick Perry’s refusal as a sign that there is a veneer of pretense he’s afraid Mark Levin will pierce through with tough questions.

Nope, too many red flags for me.

Compare him to Michele Bachmann on the core matters of integrity, consistence, courage, and leadership. She leaves him in the dust. There is no doubt in my mind that Michele Bachmann believes deep in her heart everything she says, every position she takes. These times call for that kind of leadership.

About mesasmiles

By Dr. David Hall. Dr. Hall runs Infinity Dental Web, a small company that does Internet marketing for dentists. He has had a long-standing interest in politics and as a college student toyed with the idea of a political career.
This entry was posted in Republican Presidential Candidates and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *